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Inland navigation explains how to add tags to waterways (rivers, canals and lakes) that are provide information about the availability of particular stretches of water for navigation purposes by various types of vessel from large ships on major waterways, to pleasure boats or other craft.

Contents

Tags

Limitations

Limitations of the size or speed of vessels using the waterway at a particular point.

maxheight=* is used to mark headroom or clearance under a bridge, tunnel or other obstruction that limits the available height. The maxheight tag is normally applied to a node on the lower way or on the way itself. The tag is not used on the bridge, but on the waterway that passes under the bridge.

Navigability

Locks

Locks are an important potential obstacle on waterways, especially regarding opening times. They should be tagged as describe in lock=*. The above tags as applicable are tagged one the way between the lock gates waterway=lock_gate.

Lift gates should be tagged as a bridge with maxheight=* at the node of the lock gate, as the reference level refers to the waterway in front or behind the gates, while the level of the lock basin itself varies.

CEMT=* European standard for sizes of vessels that can use a waterway.

waterway=milestone Waterway distance milestones should be set at full kilometers as described in DE:key:waterway. They should be tagged at obstacles too, because their position is mostly exactly known, while the full kilometers will be rather inaccurate, even if marked by a sign on the riverbank.